


Four(?) Ring Circus

by VirgilVirgilVirgil



Series: Gravity [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, F/M, Family Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-01 05:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12149550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirgilVirgilVirgil/pseuds/VirgilVirgilVirgil
Summary: Baz, the lone Chiss on a planet of humans, starts to build a family with his husband. One chapter per addition, lots of fluff and good feels.It's not necessary to read any other stories in the series to understand this story, but readingSecretsandHarkbackerwould help give background.





	1. Laza

**Author's Note:**

> [The Fam's playlist!](https://virgilvirgilvirgil.tumblr.com/post/165625252782/four-ring-circus-the-fam)

Sebbie had the sort of grin he got on his face when he was about to do something he knew was really good. It bordered on devious, maybe a little anarchic. Like the happiness he was about to cause might result in the destruction of life as it was known.

Baz had grown rather fond of the look.

“Hm? How was your trip?” He hadn’t been expecting Sebbie back for another few hours.

He opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it. He grabbed Baz’s arm, “Come with me.”

He didn’t really give Baz much of an option. He dragged him outside into the snow, onto their snow speeder.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“It’s a surprise?”

“A _huge_ surprise.”

They played these games from time to time; it was really a little fun. “Will I like it?”

Another pause, then he said something that struck Baz as very strange. “God, I hope so. It’s not really about you. Hold onto me.”

Sebbie never needed to say that more than once. They took off on the speeder, skirting the edge of city limits for several miles until they reached the military base’s docking area. Since moving to Nivo, Sebbie had taken a position with Nivo’s small military force, which focused almost exclusively on policing the space around the small planet.

“Back to work? Did you forget something?”

“No.” He was pulling Baz again, off the speeder. “Come on.”

“You’re being very cryptic.”

“Just… come on.”

“Where are we going?” Baz had never been good about not asking questions. Sebbie pulled him across the landing area, to the large ship he’d just returned on.

“There’s someone who needs to meet you.”

“Who? What?”

“Just trust me.” He peeled off his coat and threw it onto the desk in the medical area. It was empty, other than the two of them and a woman – small and plump, clearly not from Nivo due to her light blonde hair. He’d never seen her before. She looked surprised to see Baz, though to be fair most people gave him that look when they first saw him. Especially in these parts, where non-humans were a vast minority.

Sebbie stopped suddenly, putting his hands on Baz’s shoulders to force him to stop as well. “Stay here.”

“Er… okay?”

Sebbie disappeared into a back room.

The plump woman held out a hand, “Hello. My name is Noreen.”

 “It’s good to meet you. I’m Baz. Do you know Sebbie?”

“Yes, somewhat, we met a few hours ago. Are you his…”

“Husband.”

He could hear Sebbie speaking in the room, “I have someone I want you to meet. My husband. Will you come with me? You’ll like him, I promise.”

Noreen had a crooked smile on her face, “He was so excited – I see why now.”

He looked back down the hallway. Sebbie stepped out of the room, his hand at his side, fingers grasped to by a little girl who stood barely hip-height to him.

She was a Chiss.

She stopped in her tracks, making an odd little noise when she saw him.

Sebbie’s grin was somehow even wider. He picked her up and carried her to him. “We rescued her from a slaver’s ship. She’s never seen another one before.” He said simply.

Sebbie must have known: that little statement absolutely crushed Baz.

The little girl was staring at him, red eyes huge, with her mouth hanging open.

Baz held a hand out to her, “My name is Baz.”

She looked at his hand for a moment and then grabbed it, not to shake it, but to examine it.

“Does she have a name?”

“Laza.” The little girl squeaked. “I’m Laza.”

He’d never been around a young Chiss before. He wondered if this was what his sister sounded like. “It’s good to meet you Laza. How old are you?”

She didn’t respond, fascinated with his hand.

Sebbie shrugged, “She doesn’t know.”

He frowned, “How long were you on that ship Laza?”

Again, no response.

“She told me she’s never been off it.”

“Nope.” She peeped in agreement.

“Laza happens to be very smart. She speaks four languages.”

“Five.”

“Five languages. Sorry.” He hid a laugh. “And she’s a fantastic whistler.”

She shook her head, “That’s a secret. I’m not supposed to do it.”

Sebbie rolled his eyes, “Yeah, well, the people that told you that you weren’t allowed to do it are gone. And I think it’s pretty neat.”

She was quiet for a moment, her attention turned to Baz’s hand. Looking down at it, she made a low, very quiet whistling noise.

He laughed, “Hey, that’s good! Can you do this one?” He whistled back, a noise only Chiss could make, low and layered with a gentle hum.

Her eyes snapped up to him, wide with shock. She repeated the noise back.

Sebbie lowered her to the ground, “Okay, I’m going to let you two whistle at each other for a little bit. I need to speak with Noreen.”

Baz crouched down to eyelevel with the girl, “What about this one –“ he said a word in Cheunh, a common greeting that sounded something like a humming whistle with a musical sounding word below it.

Her eyes narrowed. He wondered if she’d recognized the word.

“What?” He asked.

“That doesn’t count as whistling.”

“I guess you’re right. Do you know what it is?”

She shook her head.

“It’s a word. It means hello.”

She repeated it back to him, flawlessly.

“I haven’t heard that word before. Is that how you always say hello?”

“Sometimes. How do you say hello?”

“Hello. Xêutema. Achute. Nnọọ. Solvae.” She eyed him for a moment.

“Wow. You do speak five languages.”

“I say hello in six.”

He laughed. “Yes. Yes, you do now. Would you like to learn more of that language?”

She looked like she desperately wanted to say yes but for some reason wouldn’t.

He forged ahead, teaching her how to introduce herself, how to say hello more formally, how to say goodbye, please, thank you… She picked up on it remarkably fast.

She stopped suddenly, standing on her toes to look over his shoulder at Sebbie, who was still speaking with Noreen. She leaned in toward him and asked, very quietly: “Are we the only ones?”

It took him a moment to realize she was asking if they were the only Chiss. Again, it was like a spike through his heart. He hesitated, “No. No, there are many, many more.”

She looked skeptical. “How many?”

He laughed, “An entire planet full.”

She squinted, “Where are they?”

“Very far away from here.”

“We’re the only ones here?”

“Well… no. Actually, no there is one more here.” He turned over his shoulder, “Seb? Can she leave the ship? I want her to meet Thrawn.”

Sebbie looked to Noreen, who chewed on her lip for a moment, “I’m really sorry, I hate to tell you no, but I can’t just let her leave. It’s nothing personal, you two both seem like good people, but it’s a risk I can’t take.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, are you her guardian?”

“Yes, at the moment I am. I own an orphanage a few planets over.”

“Oh.”

He couldn’t help but look at Sebbie, who had a knowing little smirk on his face. Noreen caught the look.

“Laza, why don’t you come with me for a few minutes? I think Sebbie and Baz need to speak privately.”

Laza looked over her shoulder at him as Noreen pushed her down the hallway away from them.

Sebbie had that anarchic grin on his face again. Baz hadn’t realized how suiting the grin was to the situation. It did feel like the world was being turned on its head.

“I mean… we _were_ talking about it.”

“We were…. I just… it seems…”

“What? Too perfect?”

“Yes, that’s precisely it.”

“I know. I thought the same thing. We start talking about starting a family and all the sudden this lonely little Chiss girl pops up at my work.”

“All the way in Nivo. What the hell is she doing in this area of space? A Chiss. All the way out here.”

Sebbie shrugged, “She has no recollection of either her mother or her father. I would guess she was taken from them at a very young age. From what I can gather, the assholes on the ship were using her as a sort of servant and translator.”

He rubbed his mouth. It felt like his heart was being crushed.

“Baz. Come on. What’s making you hesitate? Let’s talk to Noreen. I bet we can work something out. Face it: She’s _perfect_. She’s super sweet, and she already loves you. And she’s smart as hell. She speaks five languages. That’s probably one for every year of her life. She’s like a sponge… show her something new, she soaks it up right away. Show her a little love and she soaks that up to. I think she’s terribly lonely, from the living conditions I saw she wasn’t really cared for much.”

“I know. I know. She’s terrifyingly perfect.”

“She is.” He was grinning again.

Noreen came out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. She walked out to them.

“Laza is pretending to sleep. I have a feeling she wants to say goodbye to you two before she goes to bed.”

“Oh.” Sebbie said.

“Oh.” Baz said.

“We should,” Sebbie elbowed him.

“Yeah… Look, Noreen… Sebbie and I have…”

She held up a hand, “I have a very strong feeling I know what you’d like to discuss. I’ve walked this road many, many times. My suggestion right now is that the two of you go say goodnight to her, then go home and sleep on it. This is not a decision to take lightly.”

“I think that’s fair enough.” Sebbie inhaled deeply. “We’ll go say goodnight to her. Can we come speak with you tomorrow?”

She nodded, “Yes, absolutely. Why don’t you swing by around noon?”

It felt like eons from the present time. They both nodded; he got the feeling Sebbie was just as disappointed as he.

They made their way back to the room and opened the door quietly. She was lying in the bed on her side, her eyes barely cracked open. Noreen was spot on: she was faking sleep and she was terrible at it.

She sat up when they entered. “Are you going away?”

“Just for a little bit,” Sebbie said.

“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Baz explained, hoping it would wipe the frown from her face. It worked.

“Really?”

“Really. We just wanted to say goodnight to you.”

She smoothed the blanket out around her legs, “When will you be back?”

“At noon. Can you tell time?”

“No. But Noreen can.”

Baz snapped his mouth shut, wondering if he’d just opened a can of worms. Hopefully she gave Noreen some peace before noon tomorrow.

“Okay… well… sleep well, okay?”

“Sleep a lot,” Sebbie added. “It will go faster. Try to sleep until noon tomorrow.”

She nodded, eyes wide. Baz elbowed him. He was going to give the poor girl bad sleeping habits.

They turned to the door, “Good night Laza.”

“Wait! How do you say it?”

Baz smiled, and told her how to say goodnight in Cheunh.

She repeated it back to him.

 

**

 

Laza greeted them with a hello in basic and Cheunh the next day. “I tried to sleep until noon but Noreen made me get out of bed.”

Sebbie laughed, “That’s too bad. What have you done today?”

“They fed me again! You people eat a lot.”

“Good! Was the food good?”

“I don’t remember… I ate it too fast.”

Sebbie looked at Baz, “She must eat like you do.”

 

**

 

Noreen ran her fingers along a groove near the edge of the table, “So… I assume you two are interested in adopting Laza.”

“Ah… yes. At least, we’re interested in discussing it further with you. We’re both aware that this is very sudden, and I think you were smart to tell us to slow down last night.”

She nodded slowly, “Well… these things are very complicated. And if I can be honest, there are extra factors complicating this particular case.”

Sebbie shrugged, “I mean… you’ve seen a ton of adoptions. Do you think we’re being too hasty?”

She inhaled deeply, “Have you two discussed having children?”

“Yes,” Baz said. “We’ve been talking about it for the past few months.”

“Were you intending to adopt a child of the same species as yourself?” She looked at Baz.

“Honestly, we never really spoke about that. I think we maybe both just assumed we would adopt a human child… there really aren’t any Chiss around here.”

“That’s a logical assumption; I don’t see any issue with it. In general, this section of the galaxy is almost entirely human. It’s extremely rare to see non-human children in the orphanage.”

“But you do get non-human kids?” Sebbie raised an eyebrow. “Really? That actually surprises me. I’m from the central area of the galaxy; it’s much more diverse there. It honestly shocks me that you would see any non-human children in this area. I’ve been living out here for nearly two years and I don’t think I’ve seen any non-humans other than Baz and his father.”

She nodded slowly, “Yes, well, if I can be honest, it’s a bit of an issue around here. I do see non-human children from time to time, but…” She sighed, “There’s no good way to say this, but it’s difficult to find homes for them.”

“I can believe that,” Sebbie said flatly.

“I don’t think it’s really anything malicious. People just aren’t familiar with them here, and I think they don’t want to set themselves up for trouble. The variances in diet, growth patterns, even basic biology, all can present a challenge.”

“Yeah… I’m sure that is a factor in some of it.” Sebbie leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. He’d never been shy about his discontent with people’s prejudices.

Noreen nodded her head from side to side, almost like she wanted to agree. “Well, I hope both of you will understand that I am hesitating partially because I’m somewhat excited by this opportunity. Usually someone like Laza would stay with me for years, possibly into adulthood. She’s a bright young girl and clearly she’s suffered enough, I think she deserves a very good home and you both seem like nice people.”

“So… I guess my question is,” Baz said, “what do we need to do to get the process started? How long will it take?”

“We need to tread carefully moving forward,” she said. “If you two are going to do this, you need to be 100% certain this is what you want. If you spend much more time around that girl, you will break her heart if you leave her.”

He looked at Sebbie, who looked back at him dully. “I don’t need any more convincing.”

“We’re on the same page, then.”

She nodded, “Good. So, my very first suggestion is that you two discuss this with her. Of course, we want to make sure this is what she wants. The next step after that is getting through a mountain of paperwork.” She paused, “Given the situation, I think I can help push everything through quickly.”

 

**

 

Laza sat on the bed, doodling something in an art pad Baz brought her. Sebbie pulled a chair to the edge of the bed and sat, resting a foot on his knee. “So… Laza, the other day you told me you don’t have parents.”

“Nope.” She didn’t seem remotely phased by it.

“Do you want parents?”

She stopped coloring, her mouth twisting a little. “I don’t know. What do they do?”

He looked to Baz for help.

“Well, you live with them. And they teach you things.” Baz wasn’t even sure how to answer her question.

“And they feed you.” Sebbie added.

Her mouth twisted a little more, “That sounds nice. Especially the food.”

“Sebbie and I don’t have any children.” Baz said slowly. “But we do want to be parents.”

“We were thinking,” Sebbie said, “That you might want to come live in our home. And we could teach you things and feed you food. Lots of food.”

She looked at him, blinking.

“We could be your parents, if you wanted us to be.”

She made a light humming noise.

“We don’t want you to feel like you have to.” Baz said quickly. “But we would both really like to be your parents.”

Her big red eyes blinked rapidly. “Really? I could stay with you?”

“Yes, yes absolutely. You can live in our home with us and have your own bedroom…”

“You want me to?”

“Of course we do. We both really like you and we think you like us…”

She nodded quickly. “Yes. Yes. Yes please.” Her voice cracked a little and she hid her face in her hands.

It was beyond tragic, like a stake through his heart again. Baz scooped her up into a tight hug, “Don’t cry! We’re excited!”

“Me too…” She managed to eke out between sniffs.

 

**

 

Laza held his fingers as they stood on the front doorstep to his parent’s home.

“These people will be my grandparents?”

“They _are_ your grandparents.” Sebbie kicked some snow onto her snow boot. She flicked it back onto his foot. She’d gotten used to his antics pretty quickly.

They had, quite excitedly, told Nev and Thrawn to expect a new grandchild a few days prior. His parents knew they were looking to adopt soon, but were surprised by how suddenly it became a reality. Baz and Sebbie decided to not mention the fact that she was Chiss – mostly to see how Thrawn reacted.

Nev opened the door, smiled at them, and nearly jumped backward when her eyes fell to the girl. She smiled widely.

“Oh.” She stepped to the side, “Hello there, do come in.”

Baz stepped in with the girl, “Mother, this is Laza.”

Nev knelt down and took the girl’s hat off, smiling widely, “Laza… it is good to meet you.”

“Hello!” Laza was terribly nervous -- it showed.

“My name is Nev… Though I suppose you can call me Grandmother.”

She hummed a little, a nervous habit.

“Well, let’s get your coat and boots off. Do you want some hot cocoa?”

“Yes!” She squeaked, fiddling with the closure on her jacket.

Nev stood, looking at the two adults with a wide, mischievous smile, “You are a little early. Thrawn is just finishing up some work in his study. He’s not terribly fond of being interrupted, but I don’t think he’d mind if his granddaughter were to bring him some hot cocoa.”

 

**

 

The little girl stopped dead in her tracks with the steaming mug clenched between her fingers when she saw Thrawn.

Thrawn was standing, facing a comm located in the wall, involved in a deep conversation that from the sounds of it was military in nature – he was speaking in Cheunh. The man officially left the military ages ago, but unofficially Baz was fairly certain he still worked regularly. Probably a good thing – he always struck Baz as the sort of person who needed to keep their mind busy.

Thrawn noticed the movement – he glanced down, then back to the comm, then back down again. The comm was silent for a few moments.

 _“Sir? Are you still there?”_ The voice asked in Cheunh.

_“Yes, my apologies. I’m afraid something’s come up, can we continue this conversation later?”_

_“Yes, yes of course. I’ll be in contact soon.”_ The light on the comm blinked out and Thrawn turned to the girl. She looked up at him, her mouth hanging open. She raised the mug up, offering it to him.

“Baz, you failed to mention this.” He took the mug from her gently and set it on his desk, “Thank you.”

She looked desperately nervous. _“Um… Hello. My name is Laza.”_

She said it in Cheunh. The day prior, Baz had mentioned to her that his father taught him the language.

Thrawn smiled a little. He moved to his desk chair. “Did you teach her that?”

“Yes, I started teaching her a little. I didn’t tell her to speak it to you though, she must have thought of that on her own.”

“She speaks it better than you do already.”

Even after all the years of having the man around, he still couldn’t figure out if Thrawn was insulting him or trying to joke with him. For the sake of his ego, Baz let himself assume it was the second option. “She’s picked it up pretty quickly. She’s smart.”

“Of course she is. She’s a Chiss.” He motioned to the leather chair across from his, looking at the little girl. “Sit, please.”

She obliged quickly, crawling up into the chair.

 _“My name is Thrawn.”_ He said back to her in Cheunh, speaking slowly to emphasize the proper pronunciation. He repeated it again, and then motioned to her.

She said it back, this time nearly flawlessly.

“Much better.”

Baz sat in the third chair, “When I first met her, she asked me if we were the only Chiss. I don’t know that she’d ever seen another Chiss.”

“Interesting that a Chiss should end up all the way out here. She does not remember her parents?”

“No.”

“Who gave you your name, Laza?”

She shrugged, “It’s always been my name.”

“She was found on a smuggler’s ship?”

Baz nodded.

Thrawn said something to her in a language Baz didn’t recognize. Her eyes lit up – she responded to him in the same language.

Thrawn’s mouth turned to a flat line. “She speaks Sy Bisti, it’s a trade language very commonly used near Chiss space. The word for blue in Sy Bisti is _h’laza._ If I had to guess, she probably received her name from the smugglers that took her from her home world.”

Baz frowned. It was a cute name. Count on Thrawn to put such a dark spin on it.

“The people that had her – they have been taken care of?”

Baz raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes.”

“Where are they?”

“They were taken into custody by the system military. Trust me, they will see fit punishment.”

Thrawn appeared to not fully accept this answer. Baz suspected his father had connections deep within this system’s military. No doubt he would make sure the issue was resolved to his liking. There were some things Baz preferred to turn a blind eye to.

“Where are you from?” Laza was a small ocean of relief to the tense moment.

Thrawn opened his mouth, and then looked at Baz, “Have you not explained to her where her people are from?”

Baz didn’t want to get into a philosophical argument with Thrawn, but he wouldn’t really call the Chiss “her people” or even his own people.

“I haven’t explained. You might be the best person to tell her about it.”

Thrawn considered for a moment, and then started to tell her about his home, his people, and the planet she was most likely from.


	2. Arlo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** This chapter does reference some darker themes.

Noreen looked excited, “So… it’s been two months. How do you like parenthood?”

“She’s fantastic.” Sebbie said quickly. “I really don’t think we could be any happier. And I think -- I hope -- she’s happy as well.”

“She took to my father really well.” Baz said. “He’s Chiss, born and raised on Csilla. He’s been teaching her the language. She’s picking up on it very quickly.”

Noreen smiled, “Oh good! Good! I’m so happy to hear that!”

“We actually wanted to ask you about something…”

“We mentioned we were thinking about adopting for some time. We were actually both envisioning more than one kid.” Sebbie said.

“Oh?”

“Ah… yes.” Baz said. “I think we were leaning toward maybe… four?”

“Four. I come from a family of four, four is a good number.” Sebbie said with certainty.

“Four…” She smiled widely, “Oh, I’m actually really happy you both brought this up. I wanted to speak to you two about a special case that’s been brought to my attention. It’s unique in a few ways. First, the mother is actually the one who came to me. She’s young, and feels she's not suited to raise a child. She’s about two months out from having the child, and she wants to find a good home for it. How would you two feel about a baby?”

“A newborn?”

She nodded, “Yes, you would get the child the day of its birth.”

He looked at Sebbie. “I suppose we never even thought of that as a possibility.”

Sebbie grinned, “I’d be more than okay with a baby. I think it sounds fun.”

Baz nodded, laughing at Sebbie’s enthusiasm. “Yeah. I agree.”

“You said there were a few factors?” Sebbie asked.

“This is specifically why I thought of you two. I mentioned before that we have trouble placing non-humans. The mother is Mirialan.”

Baz tilted his head. He’d never heard of a Mirialan.

“Oh… yeah." Sebbie said. "I knew quite a few Mirialans before I moved here. Of course, that’s a non-issue for us.”

Baz vaguely wondered if Sebbie had just agreed to adopt a child with tentacles growing out of the back of its head or something odd like that. Not that he would have _cared_ if it had tentacles. He just had no frame of reference for what they were getting into.

She heaved a sigh, “Oh, that’s so fantastic to hear. I think the mother would like to meet with you two, can I set up a time and date?”

“Absolutely, please do.”

 

**

 

The mother was very young, and very pregnant. Baz had anticipated both things, but for some reason seeing them combined was still a sort of shocking image.

He hadn’t bothered to ask what a Mirialan looked like; it was more or less irrelevant to him. He was surprised, though, that Noreen thought the child might be difficult to find a home for. The girl looked remarkably similar to a human, even more so than Baz did. She had greenish skin and dark eyes and hair. She had a tattoo on her forehead, an elegant looking diamond design that ran from her hairline to the center of her forehead.

“You have a beautiful home,” she remarked, sitting on their sofa.

“Thank you,” Baz said, trying not to play with his hands too much. Something about this was nerve wracking. “It’s Ameera, right?”

She nodded, “Yes. I really appreciate you agreeing to speak with me.”

Sebbie shook his head, “We didn’t think twice about it. It’s actually reassuring that you’re concerned to know what sort of a home your child will go to.”

She looked around, curiously. “Noreen said you have a daughter? One you recently adopted?”

“Yes, Laza. She’s with her grandparents right now, I wasn’t sure you’d want a five year old interrupting our conversation.”

She had a pretty smile, with dark, full lips. “I’m sure I wouldn’t have minded.”

“So… we’re not really sure how to go about this. I assume you have questions for us?”

"I do. My primary desire was to just gain an understanding of the sort of people you are. Noreen reassured me that you’re very good people, and I do trust her judgment, but I’ll feel much better about this whole thing if I can observe that on my own.”

“I think that’s fair.”

“Why do you two want another child?”

They looked at each other for a few moments.

“Well… because Laza has been the most amazing, beautiful, fun thing that’s ever happened to either of us and… it seems like double the fun to have two.”

Ameera smiled. “You seem to adore your daughter.”

“We do.” Baz said. “And I think we both agree that it would be good for her to have a sibling.”

“Or a few siblings, but I think that’s a little further down the road.”

“How long have you had her?”

“Two months now. So not long, but I think she’s managed to capture both of our hearts in so much time.”

“You said she’s five, do either of you have any experience with babies?”

“Ah… well… no, to be honest.” Baz admitted.

“I’m a doctor by trade,” Sebbie added quickly. “I’ve had to change enough adult diapers, I think I could figure out a child’s.”

She nodded, smiling widely. “I think that’s fair enough. She’s with her grandparents now?”

“Yes, my parents aren’t far from here. They’re more than happy to finally have a grandchild. And Laza is more than happy to spend time with them; my mother gives her a constant stream of food and my father has been teaching her how to speak his native language. She has an affinity for languages.”

“It’s good that she’s with people who encourage that. Your husband is a doctor, what do you do?”

“I’m a senator.”

“A new senator,” Sebbie added with a smirk. “I’m a little proud of him. He was just elected to the position about a year ago, shortly before we married.”

“Ah, well congratulations! That is a big achievement.”

Baz laughed, “No, congratulate me if they re-elect me. That’s the real test.”

“If you don’t mind me asking… those are two very demanding careers. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but do you think you can handle that and a baby?”

Sebbie nodded, “We actually spent a lot of time discussing this matter. I’m a doctor for the military force here, so I’m sent on off-planet missions every month or so. They tend to last 5-10 days, but after those missions I’m granted just as many days off from work, so in a way it evens out. And I’m to the point in my career that I’m a senior officer, so I have a little more say in my schedule. Since Laza came into the picture I’ve managed to cut back on off planet missions a little.”

“My job allows me to be home every evening.”  Baz explains. “I do have to pull longer hours from time to time, but nothing too outrageous. I think we’ve found a good balance with Laza. And, like I mentioned, my parents are more than happy to fill in whenever they’re needed.”

“Good. I hope you don’t mind my questioning, I’m not trying to be invasive.”

He shook his head, “Not at all. If you don’t mind me asking you a few questions… You seem well educated. And quite stable. I’m curious if putting this child up for adoption is really what you want?”

She looked surprised. “Oh. Well… thank you, but yes, I am certain.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Sebbie leaned back, “You’re smart, and you seem very responsible. I suppose it just isn’t what I was expecting?”

“I appreciate that, but I can assure you I’m making the right decision. I’m too young to give a child a good life.”

Baz nodded slowly. “Would you want to be involved in the child’s life?”

“I… I’m sorry. What do you mean?”

“I think that’s something we would have to take into account. Would you like to be able to visit the child?”

She looked hesitant. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure that would be the best thing for either me or the child.”

“Why is that? I mean… the child, I can understand. Especially when it’s young, I can see where that would be terribly confusing. But why for you?”

“Primarily it is because I think you’re right, it would be terribly confusing for the child. But also… please don’t misinterpret what I’m trying to say. I care very much for this child; I want to see it go to a good home. It deserves a good life. But it is also a beacon of a great deal of struggle for me.”

Baz nodded. No doubt, the poor girl was probably terrified by what was happening to her. He felt for her. She was too young to have to go through this.

“I’m just curious, you don’t have to answer me,” Sebbie cautioned, “But what about the child’s father?  Does he know you’re putting it up for adoption?”

She frowned a little. “He doesn’t.”

“Do you think he might want some say in the matter?”

She hesitated, her tone changing entirely, almost more of a hiss. “If I can be perfectly honest, he didn’t give me much of a say in the matter. I don’t intend to give him a say in what happens with the child he’s forced me to have.”

There was a very heavy silence.

“I’m very sorry, I wasn’t aware of the situation.” Sebbie said quietly.

She shook her head quickly, “No, no. I understand the question, it makes perfect sense. I hope you understand my position.”

“Of course we do.”

“Knowing that,” Baz said quietly, “I do feel like I need to ask: are you safe?”

“Oh, yes. Yes, he disappeared some time before I even found out. It’s not an issue.”

“Where do you live?”

“I’m on the same planet as Noreen. Are you familiar with it?”

Sebbie nodded, “Yes, I was on a ship that stopped off there a couple months ago. It’s not far from here.”

“Are your parents in the picture?” Baz asked. “Is anyone around to help you?”

She shook her head, “No, my parents are on my homeworld. I haven’t spoken to them in over a year. I fair just fine on my own.”

“You’re certain you’re safe?” Baz asked again. “We can help you if you need protection, or if you need to move.”

She smiled at him, “Oh… that’s very kind of you. Yes, I’m certain I’m safe. This is… honestly, it is very reassuring. You are very kind people, I do think, if you are still interested, that I would feel good moving forward with this.”

Sebbie’s face cracked with a wide grin. Baz grinned as well.

“That’s fantastic.”

“Of course we’re still interested.”

Sebbie nodded, “We should discuss medical matters, if you don’t mind. Like I mentioned, I’m a doctor. I’ve seen this whole… birthing thing before. I think both Baz and I would agree that you should have the child wherever you feel most comfortable. We can cover any medical bills, and we will be there the day of.”

“Oh, thank you. I do appreciate that. I’m… well I’m very nervous.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s a scary thing. I imagine you would want to have the baby on your planet?”

“I don’t mean to be a pain, but that would be a very big relief for me.”

“That’s not a problem for us.” Baz said.

She looked at Sebbie, “Would you… want to deliver it? Since it will be your child?”

Sebbie looked taken aback. He looked at Baz like he might be able to answer for him.

“I… honestly I don’t know. I hadn’t thought of that. I’m not really… that sort of doctor. I take care of people who are dying, not ones who are just coming to life.”

She smiled warmly, “Well, don’t feel obligated. I thought I might extend the offer.”

“I would have to think about it. How soon are you due?”

“Five weeks.”

He nodded. Five weeks.

 

**

 

Sebbie walked out of the hospital room with a wide, toothy smile and a little bundle in his arms, clutched to his chest.

“Guess. Boy or girl?”

“Er… Laza, you go first.”

Laza squirmed in her chair. She’d spoken of nothing other than her soon-to-be sibling for the past few days. “Um… girl. Girl I think.”

“I’ll say boy then.”

“Your daughter is smarter than you.” He knelt down to Laza, showing her the little bundle. “You have a sister.”

The baby was quiet, fast asleep. She had the same olive colored skin as her mother, and wisps of black hair on her head.

“Oooh…” Laza’s eyes were huge; she brushed her finger against the set of tiny green fingers barely poking out of the bundle. “She’s so small.”

Sebbie looked up at Baz. His smile hadn’t faded even slightly, if anything it had only gotten bigger. “Do you want to hold her?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.”

He handed the bundle off to him. When Baz took their new daughter into his arms she stirred a little, one dark eye barely popping open, then falling shut again.

“I suppose being born is exhausting.”

“Hm.” Sebbie kissed his temple, “Baz… We have a baby.”

He couldn’t help but crack a grin, “We do.”

Laza looked up at him desperately. He sat on the floor, his back to the wall, so she could see. “Do you want to tell your sister her name?”

Her eyes lit up, “Can I?”

He nodded.

She poked at the bundle gently, speaking quietly, “Your name is Arlo. I think it’s a good name.”

The name had been a subject of great debate, particularly between he and Laza, until Sebbie had casually mentioned _Arlo_. It was Sebbie’s sister’s name – she’d died in a Resistance attack in her early 20’s, shortly after Baz had first met Sebbie. The two had been very close; her death was a major turning point in his life.

It was a good name, Baz thought.

Laza chattered on at the bundle, telling her what her name was in five more languages.

Baz looked up at Sebbie. “I’m happy.”

Sebbie crouched down next to him and kissed him again, “Good, that’s all I really want.”


	3. Brink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** This chapter references some adult themes. Got a little darker than I intended it to.

The baby was more work than they anticipated, at least at first. Or maybe it wasn’t that she was more work, it was just that they were both getting less sleep. But after about six months of waking every two or three hours, she settled into a nice sleep schedule and Baz and Sebbie were left feeling like they got lucky once more.

Laza was utterly taken with her sister (unless she was crying in the middle of the night, then she wasn’t so fond of her). She was sad a few months in when she had to start school and be away from the little one for so long each day, but took to school quickly. She was bright – they’d always known that. After a few months her teacher came to them and suggested they have her do some exams to find a better placement for her. The girl was surpassing her peers with ease and was going to grow bored if they didn’t put her somewhere she was being challenged.

It was about a year later that they decided to take a quick off-planet trip to Prill, the neighboring planet Noreen’s orphanage operated out of. They made a point to go see her. She was in touch with them by holo from time to time, just to check in and see how everyone was doing.

They met her at a restaurant – nothing too formal as they had Arlo and Laza with them. Arlo had just started eating solid food, though she still wasn’t very good at actually getting any of it to her mouth on her own.

Laza told Noreen all about her school, and her grandparents, and her new sister, and how happy she was. She barely fit a breath into the one-sided conversation before she dismissed herself to go to the bathroom. She was oddly independent for someone so young.

Noreen smiled, “She’s happy.”

“I do hope so; we keep a close eye on her. She’s bright for her age – they had to put her into a class with kids nearly twice her age. Sebbie and I both worry about it. She’s different from most people on Nivo. I don’t want to see her singled out for it.”

She nodded, “That’s good. Parents see challenges like that with any child. It’s good that you’re aware of it and doing what you can to help her. From what she’s said – which was quite a lot – I would say you two are doing a fantastic job. And you look remarkably well rested for having a new baby as well.”

“We weren’t well rested for the first six months or so,” Sebbie laughed. “But Arlo’s settled into a good sleep schedule. We’re lucky. I think that’s just it. We’re really, really lucky.”

She fidgeted with her napkin a little, “I’m actually incredibly happy you two contacted me. There’s a matter I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Oh?”

She sighed a little, suddenly looking very sad, “Listen, I don’t want to push anything on you two, so please don’t feel obligated. I have… a sort of special case on my plate right now and I need help finding a really good home for a kid who sincerely needs it. I understand that you two might not be ready to take on another one since you’ve now got a baby in the mix, but I thought you might know of someone – anyone -- who would be a little more understanding of… well, of special cases.”

Baz tilted his head. “Special cases? How so? Another non-human?”

“Well… yes. A Zabrak. It’s a little boy; he came into my care about three months ago. It was such a sad case. The boy witnessed his father’s murder. He’s so young and a little traumatized from the incident. I found him a good home with a family that lived in a rural area on this planet. They were humans, but seemed understanding of his case. Zabraks are very similar to humans. I didn’t think it would be an issue. Anyhow, I went to visit, to check in a like I always do and see how he’s getting along and…” She hesitated, blinking quickly to avoid tears, “They’d tried to remove his horns.”

Baz was vaguely familiar with the species, but apparently this was something terrible that he didn’t quite understand. Sebbie huffed next to him. “Seriously? What kind of an asshole thinks…”

She shook her head, “They told me they thought he’d get along better without them. The poor boy was in so much pain, I removed him from the home immediately. He’s been back in my care for a few days now.”

“How is he doing?”

“Well, one of the horns is still broken, but he says the pain has subsided. I suspect he’s lying… the doctors around here aren’t familiar with his species, I’m not even certain he’s getting proper medical attention.”

Sebbie took it as a call to action. “I’m not a specialist, but I’ve treated a few of his kind before. I’d be happy to take a look at him. I think the least we could do is make sure he’s not in any pain.”

“Oh… would you? That would be so fantastic. I don’t know how receptive he’ll be; He’s very quiet, almost reclusive. He doesn’t trust anyone, really, other than me, and even that is pretty limited. To be honest, I’m very concerned for him.”

Sebbie nodded. “Absolutely, you don’t even have to ask. Would you mind if we went after we’re finished here? The sooner I see him the better if he really hasn’t received proper care yet.”

“Well… like I said he’s pretty standoffish. I think it’s a good idea for you to meet with him as soon as possible, but don’t expect it to be easy.”

 

**

 

The little boy sat on the other side of the table, looking at them suspiciously. There was something oddly menacing about the look, even in spite of the fact that he had bandages wrapped around his head in a somewhat comical fashion, messy black hair sticking out like it was trying to escape.

Nev, Baz thought, would love the boy’s facial markings. The design was really beautiful, with dark, pointed black lines against his red skin.

The boy started the conversation: “Why are you here?”

Sebbie spread his fingers wide on the table. “I’m a doctor. My name is Sebbie. Noreen wants me to take a look at your head.”

He frowned. “I’m fine. Someone already looked at it.”

“Right. Well, the doctors around here aren’t very familiar with Zabraks. I’m not from around here; I have a little more experience. I think I can help you more than they have.”

He looked entirely unconvinced. His green eyes flashed to Baz. “Who’s he?”

“That’s my husband, Baz.”

He looked at Baz. Baz swore the boy hadn’t blinked since they entered the room. He put on a smile. “Hello. Did Noreen tell you about us?”

“Yes.”

“What did she say?”

“That you’re nice people and that I ought to trust you.”

“Do you?” Sebbie asked.

The boy looked at him, still not blinking. “No.”

“I suppose I can’t blame you for that. Let’s try this again.” He held out a hand, “My name is Sebbie. I’m a doctor, and I think I can help you. I’d like to, if you’ll let me. What’s your name?”

The boy looked at his hand like he wanted it to burst into flames. “She already told you my name.”

“She did, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“That’s stupid. I’m not going to tell you my name. You know it.”

Sebbie leaned back in his chair. Maybe his relaxed demeanor would help calm the kid. “I like your face markings.”

For the first time since they entered the room, he broke eye contact. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“Why are you both still here? I don’t need you to look at my head.”

“We’re here because we’d like to see if we can help you.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t need help.”

Sebbie shrugged, “There’s nothing wrong with needing help.”

“ _I don’t need help_.”

They were all quiet for a moment.

“I think I have a better idea,” Baz said. “Why don’t you ask us questions? I bet you have some for us.”

He eyed them both. “Noreen said you live on another planet. What are you doing here?”

“We’re actually on vacation. Noreen is a friend, we met her for dinner last night and she mentioned you.”

“What did she tell you about me?”

Baz frowned a little. He wasn’t sure how to handle this one.

“She said that you don’t trust people very easily, but that you’re a good kid. She said that the last people who had you were very cruel, and that I might be able to help you.” Sebbie said.

Baz shot him a sharp look. Brutal honesty wasn’t always the best approach with a child. Sebbie gave him a subtle wave to back off.

Evidently Baz was wrong, because the boy looked at Sebbie for a few long moments, and then gave a short nod. “What do you think?”

“I think that I could probably help you, if you’d let me take a look at what they did to you.”

The boy crossed his arms, ignoring Sebbie’s assessment. “What planet are you from?”

“Our home is on Nivo,” Baz explained. “It’s a cold planet, compared to this. There’s always a lot of snow.”

“Do you like snow?” Sebbie asked.

He shrugged.

“I don’t.” Sebbie said flatly. He nodded to Baz, “I just like him so I stay there.”

He swore the briefest hint of a smile crossed the kid’s face. Maybe he was just imagining it though.

“Do you like living there? Even with the snow?”

Sebbie nodded, “Yes. I have Baz, and our two daughters there.”

The boy squinted at them, his head tilting a little, like he was trying to figure out the logistics of two men making children.

“We adopted our daughters through Noreen.” Baz had to stop himself from laughing. The poor kid looked terribly confused.

He mouthed an “oh” and nodded. “How old are they?”

“Laza is probably about your age, and Arlo is almost two.”

“Where are they?”

“Noreen is watching them so we can talk with you.”

“Why didn’t you bring them?”

“Because we didn’t think they needed to be here for Sebbie to look at your head.”

“But _you_ needed to be here?” The way he looked at Baz, he got the distinct impression the boy was challenging him.

Sebbie cut in, “I think it’s best if we’re honest with you. Baz and I want a few more children in our family.”

The boy seemed to respond well to Sebbie’s blatantly honest answers. He blinked. It was the first time Baz had noticed him blink since they entered the room. “I don’t want to be part of your family.”

“Why not?”

He frowned, “I had a family. I don’t want another one.”

Baz was about to interject when Sebbie cut him off again. “I understand that. Can I ask you another question?”

The boy didn’t really respond, he just looked at Sebbie.

He motioned to his head, “Does this still hurt?”

The boy frowned again. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Can I just take a look under the bandages?”

The boy looked away, “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you to,” he snapped.

Sebbie looked legitimately deflated. “I understand that the last people you were with hurt you. What’s worse, you probably trusted them and they hurt you. I can’t say I blame you for not trusting people. But… is there anything I can do that would convince you that you should let me look at your injury?"

“No. Why would you want to look?”

“Because I think you’re probably in pain, and I think I can help you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you like living here?” Baz asked. The subject of his injury was clearly a very sore spot for him. Maybe leading him in a different direction would help establish some trust.

“No.”

“If you don’t like living here and you don’t want to go home with anyone… where do you want to be?”

“Home.”

“Where is your home?”

He looked like he wasn’t going to answer. “Rezko.”

“Rezko... that’s a very desert-like planet, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Lots of sand?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like sand?”

“More than I like snow.”

“What’s your favorite thing about your home planet?”

The boy turned his attention to the table. “I like the rocks.”

“The rocks?”

“There’s big rock piles you can climb.”

This, Baz realized, was an in. “Oh? You like rock climbing? I used to climb a lot on Nivo. We don’t really have rock piles… we have mountains. And ice. Have you ever gone ice climbing?”

It was a small breakthrough -- he looked somewhat interested. He shook his head.

“You get these sort of… picks, right? Two of them, and you dig them into the ice and kind of… hoist yourself up. It’s really fun. I don’t do it as much as I used to, but sometimes I make it to the mountains for some ice climbing. What do you use to rock climb?”

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

“Nothing? No clips or ropes? You free climb? How tall are these rock piles?”

“Mm… tall. The tallest one I climbed was about as tall as this house.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

“My dad was better than me. He climbed really tall ones.”

“Did he go climbing with you?”

“Sometimes.” Baz swore he could see a hint of a smile.

“Sometimes? So… you went by yourself?”

“Yes. Sometimes.”

“Was that scary?”

“No.”

“I used to climb with my best friend when I was a kid. We got stuck once, in a snow storm on top of the mountain. That was frightening.”

The boy looked at Sebbie, “Do you go with him?”

“Me? Climbing? No.” He laughed, “No, I’m not nearly as brave as Baz.”

“You should go.”

Baz nodded, “I’ve been telling him that for years. He doesn’t listen to me.”

“Eh… It’s scary. And cold.”

“But that’s why you should go.” The boy said.

Baz punched his arm, “See? Conquer your fears. It’s good for you.”

Sebbie looked at him with tight lips and a raised eyebrow. Baz knew the look: _Drop it._ He would, for now.

“When was the last time you went climbing?” Baz asked.

The boy frowned and shook his head, “Not since I came here.”

“No?”

“There was a place to climb at the home I was at, but…” He trailed off, his mouth twisting into a frown.

“I have an idea.” Baz laid his hands out flat on the table, “Hear me out all the way here. I know you said you don’t want to come home with us, but what if I was to take you climbing if you came home with us?”

His jaw twitched, like he’d been slapped.

Baz shook his head quickly, “I’m not saying we would adopt you. I’m saying you could come home with us, sort of like a visit. And if you don’t like it you can leave and come back here whenever you want.”

“We discussed this option with Noreen already and she’s okay with it. We’ll give you a comm, if you want to contact her you can at any time, without us even knowing. This does come with one other rule though… you have to let me examine your injury. Especially if you’re going to go climbing, I need to make sure you’re okay.” Sebbie waved a hand, “It doesn’t have to be today, or tomorrow, or even the day after that. Whenever you’re ready, I can help you.”

He was frowning, chewing on his lip.

Baz shook his head, “You don’t have to answer now. Think about it, and let Noreen know what you decide. She will let us know what you decide. And if you have any questions, you can ask through her as well.”

“Does that sound fair to you?”

The boy was silent. He nodded, his arms crossed.

There was a knock on the door behind them. “That would be Noreen, I think our time is up.”

Sebbie nodded to the boy and held out a hand, “It was good to meet you.”

He hesitated, and shook his hand. “Brink. My name is Brink. But you know that.”

Sebbie smiled, “I did. But thank you anyway for telling me.”

“You’ll let Noreen know what you decide?”

“When do you go back home?” He asked. “So I know when to decide by.”

Baz shook his head, “That doesn’t matter. If we’ve gone back home then we will find another way to get you to our home planet. Take your time.”

“One more thing.” Sebbie pulled a vial of pills from his pocket. “I brought these for you. They’re painkillers. I know you say you’re not in pain, but I can’t imagine that’s true. The instructions on these say adults should take two, but the instructions are for humans. If you’re going to take them, take four.” He slid the vial across the table to the boy. “If you run out, Noreen will be able to get you more. And if you change your mind about letting me take a look at your head, let her know. I can come back at any time.”

The boy didn’t touch the bottle.

 

**

 

The idea struck Baz just as they were about to leave the building. He looked down at Laza. “Laza… I think there’s someone you should meet.”

She smiled up at him. “Oh?”

“Baz… is that a good idea?” Sebbie said quietly. They hadn’t told her anything about the boy; they didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“I do. I think it would be a great idea.” He smiled at him, “Trust me.”

The boy was still in the room, speaking quietly with Noreen. The pill bottle still sat on the table, untouched.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, there’s one last thing.”

Noreen smiled at them. Brink looked confused.

He placed a hand on Laza’s back and pushed her ahead of him. “This is our daughter, Laza. I thought you might want to speak with her before you make your decision.”

Laza was always too quick – she pieced the situation together quickly. He should have counted on that. She looked up at him, her mouth half open in a gaping smile. “Really? A brother?!”

“Brink just might come visit us for awhile. I think he might have some questions for you…” He nodded to the boy, “You can talk to her alone if you like.”

Noreen apparently thought this was a good idea. She stood quickly, smiling widely. “Yes… would you like to speak to her, Brink?”

He looked like he’d been cornered. He nodded.

Noreen hurried out of the room, closing the door between them and the two children.

“Excellent idea.”

Sebbie scratched his nose, “I hope so. That poor boy won’t be able to fit a word in edgewise.”

 

The door opened some time later and Laza skipped out, followed by the little boy, who looked exhausted.

“He’s nice. I told him he should come visit us.”

Brink rubbed his eyes and said quietly, “She talks _so much_ …”

Baz noticed the pill bottle was gone from the table.

 

**

 

They were surprised when the boy made his decision so quickly. It came in pieces; two days before they were set to go back to Nivo, he decided to join them. No official papers, no commitment, and no letting Sebbie look at his head.

They gave him his own room and decided against introducing him to Thrawn and Nev just yet. He was skittish around new people. No need to overwhelm him.

There was a bit of a lull in Baz’s work, so he was able to work from home for a few days while Sebbie pulled a few long shifts. He came home late, while Baz was preparing a meal. He could tell when Seb walked through the door – it had been a rough day. This happened from time to time.

“Doing okay?” He asked.

Sebbie offered a weak smile as Laza hugged to his legs, “Yeah. How’s Brink?”

“I’m here.” Brink looked over the back of a chair at him. The boy had spent most of the day quietly exploring the house. For the most part, he’d kept to himself.

“Do you need help?” Sebbie asked Baz.

“Help? No, no. Go sit down. Relax. You’ve had a much longer day than I.”

He gave a grateful smirk and turned to collapse into a chair. He walked past Brink, “How’s it goi…” he raised his hand to pat the boy on the shoulder and he flinched, drawing away from Sebbie.

Sebbie completely froze up, his hand still in the air, looking at the boy tragically. He looked very tired. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t going to…” He sighed. “I wouldn’t do that.”

He fell into a seat, looking completely defeated. Laza, oblivious to what just happened, tried to crawl into the chair with him. “Laza… why don’t you go help your father with dinner?” He half smiled, whispering just loud enough for Baz to hear, “It’s better when you help him; he’s not a very good cook.”

In a slight blow to his ego, Laza agreed with him and joined Baz in the kitchen, climbing up onto a stool to help him. There was a large pot of stew boiling on the stove. He told her to stir it – it was about all she was good for in the kitchen. He didn’t quite trust her with a kitchen knife yet.

“Will Brink like this?”

“I don’t know.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll make something else for him.”

She nodded. “Good. I think he’ll like this though.”

“I hope so.”

“What will we make for him if he doesn’t like it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have a backup plan. What do you think we should make for him?”

“Um… Eggs. Everyone likes eggs.”

“I don’t.”

A deep crease formed between her eyebrows, “You don’t like _eggs?”_

“Well I haven’t eaten them in a very long time.”

“They aren’t meat.”

“I know. But… it’s sort of the same thing.”

“You think eggs are meat?”

“No. Definitely not.”

“I don’t understand why you eat so weird.”

“Ask me to explain it again when you’re older.”

She frowned. She hated that sort of answer. “Is Brink going to meet grandma and grandpa?”

He nodded, “I think so. In a few days, maybe.”

“Why not now?”

“Because he just got here. He has a lot to get used to already.”

“They will like him.”

“I think so.”

“They’ll like his face.”

It was a little endearing to him that she already recognized that trait in his parents. “I thought that exact same thing. Can you get bowls for us? I think it’s ready.”

She held the bowls while she precariously scooped stew into them. He asked her to (very carefully) take the bowls to the table and set everyone’s places.

When he looked back out to the seating area, both Brink and Sebbie had disappeared. He wandered down the hallway, checking rooms for any sign of either of them.

He found them in the very last bedroom. More accurately, he heard Sebbie grumbling before he saw them.

“What the hell were those assholes thinking?”

Usually he’d be upset at Sebbie for using such language around a child, but in this case it seemed somewhat justified.

Brink was seated on the edge of the bed, facing away from the door. The bandages were removed from his head and were strewn across the bed, leaving his full head of messy black hair exposed, along with a few stubby white horns. Sebbie had some bandages and cleaning supplies on the table next to him, but wasn’t really doing anything with them. He was too distracted glaring at the top of the kid’s head.

He glanced up quickly, noticing Baz, but didn’t say anything to him. He heaved a sigh, “I know you Zabraks are tough as hell, but there’s no way this doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m giving you more painkillers anyway. You don’t have to take them if you don’t want to, but they’ll be there if you do want them. I won’t even check if you’ve actually taken them, so nobody will ever know.”

“I’m fine.”

“Right. Well. Let me get this cleaned. I’m sorry if it stings a little.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He grabbed some cleaning solution and a pad and started working around his forehead. He looked exhausted and angry. “Will you let me change out the bandages every day?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie, you’re not fine.” Sebbie snapped, not really at the boy but at the whole situation. He chucked the red-stained pad into the garbage and grabbed a fresh one, moving to the next injured spot. “Sorry. I’m not mad at _you_. They hurt you and now you barely even trust me to help you because they hurt you so terribly. It looks like they took a damn hedge cutter to your head, the barbarians. What sort of a worthless being does this to a child…”

“I’m fine.” The boy was intensely focused on his knees. He still hadn’t even noticed Baz.

“I’m going to take care of this. Just… let me take a look at it each day, please? I can help you. It’ll stop hurting and you’ll heal faster if you let me take care of it.”

“It doesn’t hurt I’m fine.” He was much quieter this time. His shoulders were shaking, fingers gripping the edge of the bed. “I’m fine…”

Sebbie stopped, looking down at the boy with pity. He seemed to have forgotten Baz was standing in the doorway. He wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tightly, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened to you. You aren’t fine, but you’re going to be. I promise. I’m going to make sure you aren't in pain anymore.”

Baz canceled any work he had the next day and took the boy climbing.

 

**

 

It was evident at some point a few weeks in that Brink was very slowly adjusting to what he might someday be comfortable calling “home”. He met Thrawn and Nev after about a week of living with them. They, of course, both commented on his facial markings. Nev wasn’t familiar with the species. She examined his face closely.

“My god, they’re beautifully designed.”

“I have met several Zabraks, they all have had some sort of facial markings. I suppose I have never seen a child though; I wasn’t aware they were applied at such a young age.” Thrawn tilted his head, looking at the boy. “Yours are a little unusual from what I have seen. Most are thin, more delicate lines. Yours are much bolder.”

Brink touched his chin, running his fingers over the lines. “Thank you.” He dropped his hand, looking very proud. “My father gave them to me. His were better though. He had them everywhere.”

“Everywhere?” Nev asked.

Thrawn nodded, “Yes, my understanding is that the markings generally are designed to cover the entire body of the individual, a sort of extension of their natural markings. They serve as familial markings and as a sort of rite of passage. Zabraks are very… gritty people, one could say. They’re very much focused on overcoming pain and challenging one’s self to an extreme.”

The boy gave a stiff, proud nod, “Yes. Mine are unfinished.”

“Well, that may be an okay thing,” Nev said. “You are bound to grow a great deal soon; you wouldn’t want the design getting distorted.”

 

**

 

They worked out a deal with Brink before taking him home with them – the adoption paperwork was done, completely signed off on, they only needed his approval to finalize everything. All he had to do to approve it was say the word.

He didn’t say the word.

But he did stay with them. Baz felt like he was starting to trust them more. The bandages came off and his horns started to grow back (save one on the left side of his head – it seemed to have been permanently stunted), and he started smiling and laughing and even talked a little more. He and Baz went climbing as often as they could fit it in. Admittedly, Baz was happy to have a new climbing partner. The boy was pretty talented for his age; he was strong and didn’t seem to fear much. Baz made a point to only take him rock climbing for now – ice climbing was definitely in the future for him, but he wanted to make sure the boy wasn’t quite so fearless when he was trying to scale sheets of ice.

They started him in school, and awkwardly tried to explain away why Laza was so many classes ahead of him despite the lack of age difference between them.

Their worry was entirely misplaced, because he was unfazed by the difference. If anything he took it as a challenge, making him work that much harder. He didn’t necessarily make the best marks, but he tried like hell, which Sebbie reasoned was better than just being smart. And after a few months, he actually started making friends.

Children, Baz observed, were much kinder than adults. His classmates certainly noticed that he was different than them, but were more fascinated by it than anything. Nivo was changing, slowly.

Remarkably, they didn’t have any issues. That was, until about three months in.

He got a comm call from the school right around the time school let out. When he answered, it was the school’s principal.

“Senator Sebai, it’s good to see you.”

He nodded, “You as well. Is everything okay?”

The little holo projection frowned. “Well… no. I’m sorry to tell you, but I’m not calling you with good news.”

“Oh?”

“Brink was involved in a fight…”

“Oh.” He frowned. That was no good. Baz had been involved in far too many scraps when he was in school. “Fights” they had called them. They were more like Baz just taking a beating.

“The other boy has a broken nose…”

“Oh… oh no.”

“... And possibly a concussion, we’re not quite sure yet.”

“Oh god.” He rubbed his forehead. “Who is the kid?”

“I hope you know I’m doing everything I can to control the situation here, Baz. It’s Von Raho’s boy.”

Baz couldn’t imagine how the situation could be much worse. Von Raho was his political rival, and the man who had tormented Bax in his youth. “His younger son?”

“No… the older one, Ras.”

He groaned. “Okay. Okay, thank you for the call. I’ll get Sebbie and we’ll be there right away. Is Brink okay?”

“Yes, he’s… well I mean I’m _told_ he took a punch to the face but he seems to be perfectly fine.”

That, at least, was a relief.

He ended the transmission and contacted Sebbie right away. Luckily, Sebbie was having a bit of a slow week at work and picked up right away.

“Seb, we’ve got a problem. I just got a call from the school, Brink got into a fight.”

“Oh?”

“The principal tells me he’s okay…”

“Well of course he’s okay. I can’t imagine any kid being able to hurt him without trying really damn hard. Zabraks have pretty thick skin. Literally.”

“Seb, he got into a fight with Von’s kid.”

Sebbie’s mouth quirked into a little grin and he utterly failed at biting back a snort. “Really?”

“Don’t _laugh_. They say the boy has a broken nose and possibly a concussion.”

Sebbie covered his mouth, completely unable to hide his laughter, “Oh man…”

“Seriously. Seb, don’t laugh. We need to take care of this.”

“I know, I know, I just… I mean, admit it, you know that kid totally deserved it.”

He frowned. “No, I don’t know that. Get yourself together and meet me at the school right away.”

“Okay, okay…”

Baz hung up on him before he had to listen to him crack up again.

 

 

The principal was correct, Brink was completely fine. He was tense and angry, but physically he was doing just fine. He sat in a private room, his arms crossed with a deep frown painted on his face. Laza was next to him, looking nervous.

She opened her mouth when he and Sebbie entered, but he held a hand up to stop her, “I need to talk with Brink first, okay?”

She snapped her jaw shut.

They both took seats across from Brink and Laza. Brink looked like he wanted to get in another fight. Sebbie looked like he was trying to hide the fact that he wanted to give Brink a high five.

Baz motioned to Brink, “Can you tell us what happened?”

“He deserved it.”

Sebbie scratched his nose, turning away from them. He was hiding a grin, Baz knew it.

“You can’t do these things, Brink. You may have hurt him pretty bad.”

“Baz, I think you should hear the boy’s side of the story before you decide he was in the wrong. Maybe the kid really did deserve it.”

“ _What_ could he have possibly done to deserve it?”

Laza was twitching in her seat. She really wanted to talk.

The door flew open behind them and Von strode in, looking furious. Von was the sort of person that appeared to be designed for politics: tall, good looking in a well aged way, with hair graying around the temples giving him a sort of sophisticated appearance. He was followed by a snobbish looking petite woman -- his wife -- and two boys, one of whom held a bloodied tissue to his nose. The older one was just barely a teenager, the younger one maybe a few years older than Brink and Laza.

“What the hell is this, Sebai?”

Next to him, Sebbie’s face went flat. The first and only time they met, Sebbie made it very clear to Von that he was well aware of how Von had tormented Baz in his youth, and that he didn’t have an ounce of respect for the man. Beyond that, Von more or less laid on the exact opposite side of the political spectrum from Baz. He fought inexplicably hard to completely ruin anything and everything Baz touched, ever since they were children.

Baz held up a hand, standing, “Von, calm down. I think we all just need to discuss what happened and…”

“What _happened_?” He snorted, “Really, is it not evident that your…” he waved a hand at Brink, “Whatever that _thing_ is, attacked my son for no reason…”

Sebbie stood. He was taller than Von, just enough to make him slightly menacing looking. He liked to use this to his advantage around the man. “Are you just sore that your son got his ass handed to him by a kid nearly than half his age?”

Von scowled. “I don’t know what that little creature is, but it’s clearly quite dangerous. What are you thinking, bringing that monster around normal people?”

 _“Normal people?_ Do you ever just… listen to the things you say Von? Brink isn’t dangerous…” Baz was starting to get worried that Sebbie might be the one about to start another fight, not Brink.

“You’re kidding me, right? He headbutted my kid and nearly gave him a concussion. His nose is broken; we’re going to have to have a doctor take a look at it. I can’t imagine what would have happened if he’d hit him with one of those… those horns or whatever they are… He could have lost an eye!”

“He was being mean to Laza.” Brink shouted at them, his arms still crossed. “He deserved it. He was pushing Laza around…”

Baz felt his stomach drop. Laza was still so young, and Von’s boys were quite a bit older, he hadn’t even considered that they might see each other at school. In hindsight it felt obvious, like something he should have anticipated. Like something he should have warned her about. Had this happened before? How far had it gone?

Sebbie gave a disgusted snort. “Like father, like son, Von?”

“ _What_ were you doing to my daughter?” Baz must have looked frightening because the boy took a step back. Baz’s mother once told him he looked very much like his father when he got angry. He hoped so; he’d only seen Thrawn angry a few times but it was utterly terrifying.

Brink was suddenly at his side, looking like he wanted to charge the boy, “You are a very bad person, pushing someone around who can’t fight back. And _you_ …” He glared to the younger Raho boy. “You’re even worse than him, you saw someone being hurt and you didn’t even try to help.”

“You, boy, will not lay a hand on my family _ever_ again.” Baz looked from the older boy to Von, who was tight-jawed. “Is that clear?”

Von’s mouth twitched. “Get your little circus of freaks under control, Sebai.” He turned sharply and ushered his family from the room, just as the school principal was entering.

He waited for the door to close and looked at them. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to intrude. But I do need to speak with your family, as a whole.” He paused. “And I’m sorry about that, I told Von not to come in here but…”

“But the Raho’s do as they please.” Sebbie said shortly, waving a hand. “Yeah, we’ve all known that for a long time.”

The principal looked like he wanted to respond, but didn’t. Instead, he sat at a desk and motioned for them to sit as well. They all did, but Baz was still seething. He wanted to talk to Laza. He had questions for her. And he wanted to wring the little Raho bastard’s neck.

The principal inhaled deeply, “Baz, you know I have a very deep respect for you and your family.”

He nodded, maybe more stiffly than he should. He couldn’t seem to loosen up.

“I have been an advocate for the unique circumstances surrounding your family for some time now. So I hope you’ll know that this decision didn’t come lightly to me, but I’m going to have to ask you to remove Brink from school for a few days. Just long enough for us to get this under control.”

Sebbie huffed, “What about Von’s boy? He was apparently pushing our daughter around…”

“Had he given her a broken nose or a concussion I would be doing the same.”

“I can’t see the logic of condoning a person for defending someone who can’t defend themselves.”

The principal sighed, looking sad. “Baz, Sebbie… cut me some slack here.”

Sebbie huffed, crossing his arms. “I disagree with your judgment in this situation, but fine. That’s fine. No school for the next few days. I’m making the kid a kirffing steak dinner every night. He did the right thing.”

“I do expect,” Baz said, still unable to drop the tension in his voice, “That you have now been alerted to the fact that that boy has been targeting my daughter. You _will_ keep an eye on him.”

The principal looked at him for a few long moments, and then gave a short nod.

 

 

They sat privately with Brink once they returned home for the day. Brink didn’t look remotely guilty; rather, he looked like he was challenging them to question his judgment in the situation. He had to pull Sebbie aside before hand and make sure they were on the same page. He didn’t entirely trust that Sebbie wasn’t going to congratulate the boy.

Baz inhaled deeply, “Listen, Brink… you can’t start fights with people.”

“I didn’t start it. He did. Or he tried to, with Laza, and she told him to stop but he kept being mean and she couldn’t make him stop. So I did.”

He hesitated, “You were not wrong to do what you did. And I think Sebbie and I -- and Laza, for that matter -- owe you a thank you for protecting her.”

Sebbie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. They hadn’t discussed thanking him. In fact, Baz made it clear that they should not encourage the behavior.

“You’re right,” he continued. “If you see something bad happening to someone who can’t help themselves, you should try to help. But Sebbie and I both want to make something very clear: You cannot fight with people. You should only fight someone if there is nothing else you can do.”

“Right… there’s something I think you don’t understand, Brink.” Sebbie jumped in. “Most of the people here are humans. You are a lot stronger than most humans. You have to be very, very careful or you could seriously hurt someone. No headbutting people. As much as I don’t want to admit it, Von was right – if you had poked him with one of your horns he could have lost an eye.”

Brink’s face softened a little. Maybe they were getting through to him?

“The people here, on this planet, they aren’t really used to people who aren’t human.” Baz explained. “For many of them, you might be the first non-human they’ve ever met. If you have a reputation for getting into fights you’re going to make a bad first impression. People will look at you and the way you act and think that is how all non-humans are.” He frowned a little, “I know that's a lot of responsibility, but you have to work extra hard to be a really good person because they will think the way you act is the way that all of us are.”

Brink frowned at him. “That literally doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know it doesn’t, but we can’t convince them it doesn’t make sense unless they trust us first.”

“Brink… do you trust us? Me and Baz?”

He nodded stiffly.

Sebbie smiled. It was a humongous compliment coming from Brink.

“Do you remember how you felt when you first came here with us? How you didn’t trust us because the first people who adopted you were very cruel to you? It’s sort of the same thing as that. Does that make sense to you?”

His frown twisted a little. “Yes.”

Sebbie sighed a little too obviously. “Good.”

“There is something I want to mention,” Baz said quickly. “If anyone tries to hurt you or Laza, you need to come tell us about it. Sebbie and I are here to help you; we want to keep you safe. Can you promise me that you will tell one of us if something is going on?”

He looked between the two of them, and then nodded again. “Yes.”

He was under the impression that Brink promising something wasn’t to be taken lightly. He meant it.

“Thank you.”

“I think we need to speak with Laza about this as well.” Sebbie said. “Why don’t you go play in your room for a little bit while we talk to her?”

He nodded and made his way out of the room.

They didn’t have to go far to find Laza – she was standing right outside the closed door. She wanted to talk; it had been obvious since they got to the school, and it was making Baz increasingly anxious, given the recent revelation that Raho’s boy was bullying her.

Sebbie waved her in. She closed the door politely and took a seat.

“Laza, this is something we…”

“He didn’t do anything wrong.” She said quickly, talking over him. “That boy kept flicking the back of my head, I told him to stop a few times but then he pushed me…”

“Laza…”

“Brink was just protecting me, and that boy was saying such mean things I think he sort of deserved it. Actually, he completely deserved it. I know fighting is wrong but…”

“Laza.” Baz held up a hand. “I need you to answer me very truthfully when I ask you this: Has that boy ever hurt you before?”

“What? No. Well, he’s called me mean names before but he’s never pushed me around until today. I don’t even really know his name. Is it Ross?”

“It’s Ras. I’m sorry he’s been calling you names, why didn’t you mention that to us?”

She shrugged, “They’re just names and he’s just a stupid, mean person. It doesn’t really mean anything.”

The sad thought passed through Baz’s head that she was probably somewhat used to being called names from her early childhood on that ship. It might be a good thing that she could just let these things roll off her back.

“Laza… we haven’t really spoken with you about this before, but this is something we need you to take seriously. If someone… anyone, whether they’re an adult or one of your classmates, ever tries to hurt you, you need to tell us.”

“You know you can talk to us about anything, right?” Sebbie said. “Baz and I are here to protect you.”

She looked confused.

Baz sighed, “Laza… when I was a kid living here I got into a lot of fights. People… saw me as different, and that made me a target for them. I was hurt… more than once. I don’t want that to happen to you. Or to Arlo, or to Brink. Can you promise me that you’ll tell me if someone even _tries_ to hurt any of you?”

With a small pause, she nodded. “Yes. I promise. But…”

“But what?”

“Is Brink in trouble? I don’t want him to be in trouble.”

“He’s not in trouble,” Sebbie said.

“But we did explain to him that he needs to be very careful,” Baz added quickly. “Fighting should be a last resort.”

Laza left shortly after and Sebbie leaned back in his seat, looking at him with a smug expression. “You changed your tone pretty quickly about not thanking Brink.”

“I never said we shouldn’t _thank_ him, I said we need to be very careful about how we approach the subject with him. I think it went well. They both seem to understand.”

He nodded. “We should put the boy in self defense classes. They can teach him how to incapacitate someone without hurting them more than necessary.”

Baz didn’t like the idea, at first suggestion.

“He’s going to get in more fights, you know that, Baz. Whether or not we like it, our children are targets. I’d rather intervene early and teach him how to control the situation.”

Baz nodded, “You’re right. But can you imagine the boy sparring with anyone?”

Sebbie laughed, “Yeah… they’re going to have to match him up with older kids.”

“I don’t even know about that, look what he did to Von’s kid, and he’s nearly twice Brink’s age.”

“They’ll figure something out. We can talk to a few different people, I’m sure we can find someone willing to work with him. We’ll do private lessons if we need to.”

"Hm. I suppose you're right." 

Sebbie stood, leaning forward and kissing Baz’s temple. “See? Crisis averted. I think we owe ourselves, we’re pretty damn good at this parenting thing.”

“You think?”

“I do. We make a good team.”

Baz turned to him and caught his lips briefly. “We do balance well. I constantly congratulate myself for choosing you to build a family with you.”

Sebbie smirked, knocking his forehead against Baz’s, “You were born to be a politician, you know? You have the best one-liners.” He made a point to mess up Baz’s hair just a little before he drew away. “I need to get back to work.”

“Me too. I’ll take the kids to my parents.”

“Nev is going to fill the boy with cookies when she finds out what happened.”

He laughed, “She will. I think that’s okay.” He turned and noticed Brink was peeking at them through the doorway. “Oh. Hey Brink. Do you need something?”

The boy shuffled through the door, gripping a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. He slid it onto the table, “I signed it. If you still want me here.”

Baz blinked at the paper a few times. Brink’s name was scrawled out in blocky, childish letters on the bottom. He didn’t have a last name, or so he told the orphanage. It took Baz a few moments to realize what the paper was. He pinched his eyes shut.

Sebbie let out a whoop and scooped the boy off the floor in a giant hug, “What do you mean if we still want you here? You’re kidding, right?”

“You’re sure, Brink? This is what you want?”

He gave a stiff nod. He looked incredibly uncomfortable with Sebbie’s embrace. If he was joining the family, he would have to get used to it. Sebbie was a hugger.


	4. Triva(?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note to new readers: The last half of this chapter won't make much sense unless you've read _Harkbacker_.

Arlo, nearly 4 years old now, sat on the sofa tying her brother’s hair in tufts around his horns. Brink had reached a state of complete resignation – he let her work, indifferent to anything happening around him. Laza sat next to him, chattering away at Noreen about how happy they all were.

Noreen looked like she was biting back a laugh. Somehow they ended up with three very different children. Luckily, they all got along really well.

“… And Arlo is going to start school in a few years, I think she’s going to like it a lot. But she’s going miss grandma and grandpa, she spends a lot of time with them. Really, she spends a lot of time with grandma because she likes painting and drawing. I think she’ll get really good marks in her art classes, she’s a lot like grandma. She’s a really good artist...”

“Speaking of grandma and grandpa,” Baz said loudly enough to cut her short, “They should here soon. They’re looking forward to meeting you, Noreen.”

Noreen smiled. “I’m excited to meet them. It’s good to hear you’re all doing so well. Brink, how have you been?”

He looked back at her for a long moment, as Arlo tied a purple sparkly tie around a tuft of his hair. “I’m good.”

“You’re happy?”

“Yep.”

Brink made up for his sister’s long-winded ways. He was always pretty succinct with what he needed to say.

In the few years he’d been with them, he deemed himself the protector of his two sisters. They tried not to encourage the behavior too much for fear he might get a little too aggressive and hurt someone, but secretly Baz was really, really grateful to have him around. He trusted that if something out of control was happening to one of his sisters, Brink would step in and put an end to it.

There was a knock at the door. Nev stood on the other side, without Thrawn.

She waived airily as she walked in. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to be late to our meeting. My husband got distracted, I thought I should at least make my way here to say hello.” She nodded to Noreen, holding her hand out. “You must be the one who helped these three into our lives? Thank you.”

Noreen shook her hand, “There’s no need to thank me, I’m just happy they found such a good home. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Nonsense, you’ve brought a great deal of joy to my family.”

Noreen gave a small smile. “I’m a little disappointed your husband couldn’t make it. I was looking forward to meeting him.”

“Oh, he’s here,” she said, glancing to the door with a frown. “He just got distracted while were making our way to your office.”

_Probably found a wall of children’s art_ , Baz thought.

“I see, well if that’s the case, I would love to give you a tour of our facility. I’m sure we’ll bump into him eventually.”

“You three,” Sebbie nodded to the kids. “Why don’t you go play with the others for a little bit? We’ll come find you when we’re done. We just have boring adult things to talk about.”

The three kids made their way off to make friends, while Noreen led them on their tour. “Boring adult stuff” was a good way of selling it to the kids in order to get them out of the picture for a little bit. The reality was that they’d come for a very specific reason. Sebbie had always said: four was the perfect number. They were one short.

Admittedly, Baz wished Nev and Thrawn hadn’t insisted on accompanying them. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea to have them around while they were attempting to make such an important decision. He and Sebbie had conspired to keep the exact nature of this visit from them, just to help alleviate some of the pressure.

They walked through the halls for some time, looking at the dining area and bedrooms and playrooms and whatnot. Noreen had a reasonably sized operation, with room for 25-30 kids. Just small enough that she could keep tabs on everyone with some good hired help.

As they walked down a hallway of playrooms Baz paused – his father was in one of the rooms, sitting at a comically small children’s table by himself. He moved a little closer to the window that gave a view into the room and noticed Thrawn wasn’t actually alone. Barely visible on the other side of the table, a little girl sat looking back at him. She wasn’t human – her skin was a brilliant shade of pink and her hair was dark blue, much like his. She had an unmistakable expression on her face, he recognized it instantly because it was the very same expression his mother wore half the time. He’d never quite been able to find the right word for it; it was somewhat haughty, with a tinge of boredom and a heaping dose of confidence. The girl must have barely been older than Arlo, the expression was so strange and misplaced on her face he nearly laughed.

“Let me make sure I am clear about your strategy,” Thrawn’s voice came from the room. He’d never been good about speaking with children. He was addressing her more like one of his military contacts. “These little ties…” He toyed with a small black leather band lying on the table, “… are quite popular among the children here. The black ones are the most popular, with a current rate of two brown ties or five tan ones.”

She nodded.

“So you have been taking one brown one and two tan ones and braiding them to create these…” He tapped the table, next to a little brown and tan braided band. “And you trade them for one black one.”

She nodded again.

“So you get the band you want, for less than what is usually asked.”

Baz wondered if the girl ever spoke. She simply nodded once more.

Thrawn was silent for a moment. “That’s very clever. May I ask why you prefer the black ones?”

She shrugged and reached across the table, sliding the black one away from her and using it to tie her hair back. She already had a few other black leather bands, fashioned around wrists. “I just like them.”

Baz stepped into the room, “I see you’ve made a friend…”

His father looked to him. “Yes, Baz, this is Trixie. Trixie, this is my son, Baz.”

The little girl looked at him like she was bored. “Hello.”

“It’s good to meet you, Trixie.”

“She’s quite clever, did you overhear our conversation?”

“I did.” He sat at the table with them. “Have you been here with her the whole time?”

“Yes, I noticed the trade system Trixie was setting up and was intrigued enough to speak with her about it.”

Admittedly, the scheme was intimidatingly clever for such a young child.

The little girl stood and bowed her head to them. “I have to go now.”

“It was good to meet you, Trixie.” Thrawn returned the gesture. The little girl made her way from the room, just as Sebbie and the two women made their way in.

Thrawn nodded to he and Sebbie.  “You should adopt that one. She’s creative. I like her.”

“Er…”

“That is the purpose of this visit, am I correct?” Thrawn looked at him blankly, like the hesitation didn’t compute.

He looked to Sebbie for help. “Well… yes, it is, but I think Sebbie and I would both prefer to take our time making this decision.”

Sebbie frowned after the girl. “A Zeltron?”

Noreen nodded. “So I’m told.”

“How strange, I don't think I've ever seen one of them even remotely close to this area.”

“It struck me as slightly odd as well.” Thrawn agreed with him.

“You didn’t mention you had another non-human.” Sebbie said to Noreen.

“Well, yes. I thought it might be best to not bring her up. As I understand, you two only wanted one more in your family. Trixie has a brother; the two are so inseparable I can’t bring myself to split them up.”

Sebbie looked at Baz, a kind of sad little frown on his face. It was a nice thought, but they really couldn’t have five. They didn’t have enough room for five in their home, and their hands were full already. Sebbie sighed a little. “Yeah, I’m sorry, but we really can’t take on two. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a home for them pretty quickly. Zeltrons are nearly exactly like humans, and let’s face it, that little girl is cute as hell. Who wouldn't want to adopt her?”

Something about Noreen’s smile didn’t seem quite right. “Yes, I’m sure I’ll find them something soon.”

Sebbie looked a little guilty, until his attention was drawn to the hallway by a sharp shriek. He sighed, “That sounds like a few of ours.” He started for the door to go assess the situation, but just as he reached it a kid barreled around, nearly knocking him over.

“Run!” He shouted as sidestepped Sebbie so quickly Baz could barely see him.

Brink followed right after, nearly knocking Sebbie over a second time, “Sorry dad!”

The two disappeared down the hallway.

The three girls, Trixie, Laza, and Arlo, came down the hallway after the boys, sopping wet from head to toe and looking murderous.

“Where did they go?” Laza demanded.

Baz looked at Sebbie, who smirked a little. He pointed down the hallway, “That way.”

The girls stalked off after their prey.

Noreen tapped her lips, looking after them nervously. “That was Kiva… Trixie’s brother. He’s kind of… He likes playing jokes on people.”

Sebbie looked at her, very confused. “Her brother?” He glanced down the hallway where the kids had disappeared. “He’s a Nautolan.”

Baz hadn’t actually been able to see the boy – he just caught a flash of green as he ran past. He wondered what a Nautolan was. Maybe something like Arlo?

Noreen shook her head. “Yes, they’re not biologically related…”

“I would assume so, he’s an amphibian.” Sebbie laughed. “I’m not sure how they could be related.”

“Kiva and Trixie are sort of a special case. They came to me two years ago after they were found on a nearby planet, abandoned in the wild. Kiva was nearly dead when they found him – honestly, the doctors didn’t think they’d be able to save him. Trixie was perfectly fine, physically, but for obvious reasons she was absolutely terrified. When Kiva came to, he couldn’t remember anything leading up to being found. Trixie was so young at the time, she doesn’t remember anything either.” She shrugged. “Kiva absolutely insisted she was his sister and he needed to stay with her. I can’t bring myself to break that bond. They’ve been through a lot together.”

Sebbie looked at him for a long moment. He didn’t need to say anything – they both took to the hallway, walking after the girls as they viciously prowled through each room, leaving wet footprints everywhere as they searched for the two boys. They reached the final door in the hallway and pushed it open…

And feathers rained down on them. Something had been propped atop the partially closed door, and the three girls were now completely covered in tiny little feathers, stuck to them from the water.

Inside the room, Brink and the other boy were howling with laughter. The three girls started yelling at them.

Sebbie looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh as he attempted to calm girls. “Come on… it was a joke… you guys are just fine…”

Brink was doubled over laughing, and the other boy, a green-skinned, aquatic-looking non-human was lying on the floor, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. When the boy flashed past Sebbie earlier, Baz thought that he had long hair, but he could now see it was actually some sort of tentacle-type appendages.

Gasping between giggles, he pointed at the girls, “You look like birds.”

The girls did _not_ find this funny. Laza was trying to pick feathers off Arlo, who looked like she was about to start crying. Trixie looked like she wanted swift revenge. Sebbie tried to cover a snort of laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Laza snapped at them.

Baz picked a few feathers off her, “Oh, calm down, it was just a joke. We just need to get you a towel, these should come off when you’re dry.”

The two boys high-fived, the green one wiping tears from his large, black eyes, “That worked better than I thought it would.”

“It was a good plan,” Brink nodded.

He glanced to the girls, then back to Brink, and said quietly, “Next time try glitter. I think that’ll stick even better.”

Brink had a devilish little smile on his face.

Baz was trying to remember if they had any glitter in the house. It was the last thing he wanted to try and clean.

Sebbie looked at the two boys, his hand over his mouth. He cast Baz a glance. “Noreen, would you mind taking Laza and Trixie to get some towels? The feathers should come off easily when they’re dry. Trixie, I know you’re soaking wet but would you mind staying for a moment?”

Noreen gave them a quick glance with a raised eyebrow as she ushered the two girls out. She knew what was going on – she urged Thrawn and Nev to come along as well.

Baz closed the door, “Why don’t you guys all take a seat?”

“Are we in trouble?” Brink said as he slinked into one, looking mildly guilty.

“We’ll talk about that in a little bit. Introduce us to your friend.”

Brink motioned to the boy, “This is Kiva. Kiva, these are my dads.”

Kiva sat next to Trixie, picking feathers off her. He turned to them with a wide smile, “Oh, hi! It’s nice to meet you.” He had little spots on his nose, like freckles in a human but he wasn’t really sure whatever species the boy was could get freckles.

Trixie sat with her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. “Get them off of me. I don’t like this.”

She was like a tiny, pink version of Nev.

He continued picking at the feathers, “Don’t be mad, Trixie, it was just a joke… I’m sorry…” He paused for a moment and smirked. “I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers…”

Baz wasn’t sure what was funnier – the comment or the fact that the boy seemed to enjoy his own jokes more than anyone else in the room.  He looked at Sebbie – he was laughing with his hand covering his mouth. He looked back at Baz with an expression somewhere between joy and pleading.

Baz was happy, once more, that they were on the same page. “Five is a good number, isn’t it?”

Sebbie rubbed his forehead, the three unsuspecting kids looking at them cluelessly. “Oh… hell… Five is a fantastic number.”

 

**

 

Corralling all five of them to the dinner table the first evening was a bigger challenge than Baz expected. Trixie and Kiva seemed to be adjusting well, though. They were completely open to having a new home, as long as they could be together. Baz expected Brink and Kiva to get along swimmingly, but really Kiva took to everyone quickly. Trixie was much more cautious and stuck close to Kiva.

Kiva was such an easy personality to like, but Baz found the little girl was growing on him very quickly. She reminded him a great deal of Nev. If you asked her a question, you could expect nothing less than brutal honesty in response. Earlier in the day, after getting her moved into a shared room with Arlo, he’d asked her if she needed anything – meaning extra pillows, blankets, or anything special for her room. She’d informed him that the only thing she needed was to know where Kiva’s room was, because she intended on sharing a room with her brother.

He laughed and managed to (after a great deal of coaxing) convince her to let Kiva have his own room. Aside from the fact that he was older and would definitely need his own space soon, he and Sebbie both saw the need for the two of them to let each other go just a little so they could fully integrate into the family. He got the sense that whatever bond they had was very close and would likely never change, but maybe they could stretch it a little so they could fit a few other people in.

Sebbie took charge with making and serving food, and went around the table sliding a portion onto everyone’s plates. Laza chattered on about the school Kiva would start attending soon, and Brink and Arlo were starting a minor food fight by flicking bits bread at each other (he’d have to put a stop to that soon), and Kiva… Kiva was mysteriously quiet, looking at his plate.

Baz hadn’t really paid any attention to what Sebbie was making, but it appeared to be some sort of fish fillet.

Kiva glanced up to him, a look of complete horror on his face.

_“Seb.”_ He stood quickly and pulled him out to the kitchen. “What were you thinking? Fish? Did you see Kiva? He looks terrified!”

Sebbie rubbed his forehead, “Eh… yeah, yeah, I saw that, I guess… I just didn’t really think about it…”

“How could you not think about it? It’s his first night here and you’ve practically served his family to him on a dinner plate…”

“I don’t know, okay?” Sebbie hissed at him. “Seriously, I didn’t think about it. Do you even know there’s a difference between an amphibian and a fish?”

His snarky tone did not go unnoticed. “Forgive me, I never did well in biology classes, but you might want to start explaining because you’ve just managed to completely terrify our new son.”

“They’re not even the same thing! And even if they were, that’s like… that’s like getting offended when someone serves you meat from a mammal, it doesn’t even make sense.”

“I’m afraid your analogy is a little lost on me, in case you’ve forgotten, I haven’t eaten meat in over a decade.”

“Baz, seriously, it doesn’t make any sense…”

From the table, they heard laughter. They both paused and looked out. Kiva was cracking up, laughing so hard he couldn’t sit straight.

A joke. It was a joke.

Trixie sat next to him, looking completely annoyed. She grabbed a fork from the table and jabbed it into the fillet, picking the whole thing up and pushing it into the side of his face. “Quit laughing and just eat it, these nice people are just going to send us back if you keep playing jokes on them.”

 

**

 

“How do you handle _five_ of them?” Hux looked utterly confused and a little tired.

He and Sebbie looked at each other. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose it helps to have my parents around to watch them when we’re both busy with work. Honestly, they’re all just really good kids.”

“I mean… I understand that, Aizeh is a pretty good kid, but I still can’t imagine five of them.”

Aizeh, the son he and Oni had together, was in the living room with a few of the other kids. He was 5 now – a little younger than Trixie and a little older than Arlo. This was only the third time they met him. Oni’s business had grown massively since the addition of the engineering branch that Hux oversaw, meaning they were both very, very busy most of the time. They’d made a trip to Nivo shortly after the boy’s birth and a second visit shortly after Brink’s adoption in order to meet the Brink, Arlo, and Laza for the first time. It took them a few months to get this trip arranged, but Oni was determined to meet Kiva and Trixie.

The big mystery around their son’s birth had been what he would look like. Would he be a ginger, like his father? Or would he look Nivitian? Or would he look Chiss? With more human/Chiss hybrids since he and Oni were born, people had finally discovered that the Chiss coloring gene – the blue skin and red eyes – was dominant in males, whereas females turned out looking much more human with subtle Chiss indicators, such as the red markings under the eyes and vocal abilities. Baz had secretly hoped the boy would be a ginger Chiss with purple hair, but unfortunately genetics didn’t work like that.

Aizeh had turned out looking quite Nivitian, with the same dark, wavy hair that was a little too difficult to control. His eyes, however, were red, and he had the same red markings under his eyes. Thrawn seemed surprised that Chiss genetics would be strong enough to so drastically affect the appearance of a being that was only a quarter Chiss. He was also strangely pleased by the fact that he had the under-eye markings.

“I’m glad you all could make it.” Baz said to his sister.

Oni shook her head. “Nonsense. We don’t make it here often enough. Especially with our parents getting older, we need to come more often.”

Sebbie looked out at the kids. “It’s good for them too. They should know their cousin.”

Oni tilted her head to the side and smiled. “You two have built an amazing little family. Have you noticed they’re all picking up bits of your personalities? Laza reminds me very much of you, Baz. Though she talks more. And Brink reminds me of you, Sebbie. He has the same relaxed demeanor.”

Sebbie smiled. “It took us awhile to get him to this point. He was very standoffish when he first joined us. He’s doing really well now, though.”

“Mm… And let me guess, Arlo and Trixie must spend a good deal of time with their grandmother? You can’t get Arlo away from drawing and painting, and Trixie has Nev’s… candor. And I imagine if we asked Thrass what Thrawn was like as a child, he would confirm that he was very, very much like Kiva. That boy is a schemer.”

“And on that note,” Sebbie said, tipping his drink toward Hux, “Aizeh is _completely_ your son.”

Hux frowned a little.

“Speaking of which, how is your daughter?” Baz asked.

His frown faded to a small smile. “She’s good. Very good. She and Iz have been married for nearly 4 years now.”

“No grandkids yet?” Sebbie smirked at his friend.

Hux’s eyes darted over to Aizeh. “No. No, I think they’re holding off a few more years.”

Baz imagined that was a huge relief, from the standpoint of someone who had a five year old.

Oni nodded. “Did you hear Thrass and Pip are getting married?”

“We did! You know he comes to visit our father from time to time? I always wondered why he was still sticking around rather than going back to Csilla. I assumed it was to be closer to our father. Sounds like Pip must have been another factor. I had no idea.”

“Mm. As long as he doesn’t take her back to Csilla with him…” Hux frowned. “She’s still my assistant; I don’t think I could replace her.”

“What about Sev and Cohren?”

Hux shook his head. “They’re still together. I don’t know that they have any plans for anything official. The girl, Rooney, seems to be doing well though. They’ve turned into strangely good parents.”

Baz sighed. “We ought to have a reunion soon. I’d love to catch up with all them. We should make it happen.” He nodded to the room. “Before these kids are all adults.”

“But,” Sebbie added, “After Hux’s grandkids are born. I’m going to need to meet them.”

Oni smiled. “I think we can make that happen. I’m sure they all would love to see you as well.”

They all fell silent, and for a terrifying moment, Baz wondered if it would ever actually happen. They hadn’t spent that much time together, but meeting them marked a pivoting point in all their lives. Something about revisiting that, about seeing how they’d all moved forward with their lives, made him feel happy.

It needed to happen. They would make it happen.

“What about you two?” Hux finally broke the silence, nodding to the two of them with a sly look. “Do you want any more?”

“What? Kids? No.” Sebbie shook his head quickly, looking at Baz for help. “No. We’re good.”

Baz laughed and nodded. “Yeah, five is good. Five is perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuugh, the end of another one! THANK YOU to everyone who read, and double thank you to everyone who kudos-ed/commented!
> 
> I'm about to take a little 3 week long hiatus from publishing (+300k words in 2 months while working full time... Virgil is tired). You can expect me back in action around mid-October with the first chapter of the next story in this series, _Waiting Room_. It'll follow a fun new OC and Baz's family! I happen to LOVE this next story just because it's got two of my favorite playlists for any story I've written.
> 
> Here's a little roadmap of what's ahead:  
>  _Waiting Room_ \- Baz  & his fam meet a really fun new OC (short story)  
>  _Heteronym_ \- a story about Laza (short story)  
>  _Academy_ \- a story about Brink (short story, working title)  
>  _A Lesson in Attachments_ \- Do you guys remember Milo? Ren and Mika's kid? He's baaack... (short story)  
>  _Thus far untitled BIG story_ \- The gang is getting back together again! This is a big one, with Iz, Cerys, Sev, Cohren, Hux, Oni, Baz  & fam all together, along with a few surprises and some really, really awesome new OCs! Super long story, I'm guessing +20 chapters.


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